11月リーダー 永井裕子
”Departing Fighters manager helped Shohei Ohtani find his footing”
教材に使ったJapan Timesの記事、北海道日本ハムファイターズ球団を今シーズン終了後に去る栗山監督が、大谷翔平が希望するMLBに移るまでの数シーズンの間に、更なる活躍が出来る選手としての基盤を大谷自身で見つける手助けをしていた、という主旨の見出しになっています。その内容は、2012年からの10年間、ファイターズ球団を率いた栗山監督がチームと大谷選手に対して果たした役割・指導の軌跡であり、同監督が今シーズンのMLBで大活躍した大谷選手が投打の二刀流でプレーをする道筋をつけたことを詳しく報じています。
The article is mainly written about the role and leadership shown by the Hokkaido Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama and about how he helped Shohei Ohtani, who started his professional career and played several seasons under him in the Fighters, pave the way toward a successful two-way player in MLB.
高校卒業後すぐにMLBに挑戦したかった大谷選手に対して、栗山監督と球団の首脳陣が日本に留まり、実績を作ってからMLBに行くようにと説得に動いたが、その際に、栗山監督が大谷選手に日本で先ず二刀流を試そうと提案、それが大谷選手の興味をそそることになり、結果的に、二刀流が生まれました。
Ohtani wished to challenge MLB right after he graduated from Hanamaki Higashi High School. But Kuriyama and Fighters team brass persuaded him to start his career firstly in Japan by presenting Ohtani with an idea to try as a two-way player. That piqued Ohtani’s interest and, just like that, his two-way experiment was born.
今回の勉強会の前半は、記事を輪読し、難解な表現についての分析と解釈を行い、後半の時間には、幾つかの視点から大谷選手の活躍の背景や状況について語り合いました。以下が、リーダーからの質問に対する会員各位の応答：
- 栗山監督が2012年に大谷選手を二刀流で起用すると発表したとき、多くの人は不可能な話だとコメントしていたようです。各位の印象は如何でした？
Question 1: When Manager Kuriyama announced in 2012 to use Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player, most people thought it was impossible. How did you take it then?
Answer ①: I was interested to see a play A er who can switch between pitcher and batter here in Japan under the guidance of manager Kuriyama. Now, I really wish him to play on as an active two-way player in MLB for many years to come.
Answer ②: If I were a baseball analyst and made some detailed analysis, my answer would have been “YES”
2．プロ野球は厳しい競争を勝ち抜いた選手だけがレギュラーになれる世界です。そんな中、大谷選手は投手にも拘わらず、打者としての能力を高める為に外野手としても出場する機会を得ていました。ある意味、特別扱いでした。
Question 2 : Professional baseball world is a world where only those who have won the fierce competitions can become regular players. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani played also as an outfielder in addition to being a pitcher and batter in the team, in order to increase his chances to be a batter than just being a pitcher in some games. It was a special treatment in a sense.
チームの選手は、そのような扱いをどう受け止めていたと思いますか？
How do you think his team mates were taking such a special treatment?
Answer ：The only way for a professional player to survive in his career is by exhibiting skill and ability, not by any privileges given from a team manager. Therefore, other team mates must have accepted such treatment shown to a certain team mate and rather concentrated on improving the performance of their own.
栗山監督はそれをどうマネジメントしたと思いますか？
How do you think manager Kuriyama handled such an issue in the team?
Answer : Kuriyama must have told other players to make sure to aim high and improve themselves first.
3．大方の予想を覆して大谷選手は二刀流を確立しました。その偉業を成し遂げるには、どのような要因が働いていたと思いますか？
Question 3: Shohei Ohtani, overturning what many people had doubted as impracticable, established the two-way performance. What factors do you think have worked to attain his achievements?
Answer ①：His family circumstances and a good upbringing（親からの子供時代のしつけ）given by parents should have worked.
Answer ②：We could not have watched such a great achievement of Ohtani, if the three talents namely; Shohei Ohtani, Kuriyama and Joe Maddon – Manager of LA Angeles – had not crossed their paths at the right timings of their respective careers.
Answer ③：Remarkably high physical ability and mental strength to adapt to the changing environment in which he is placed should have worked.
最後に、大谷選手の今シーズンの大活躍はコロナ禍で沈んだ人々の心に希望をあたえてくれました。
有難う！
